LCS posts strongest Twitch viewership of 2021 Spring Split in week 3

The LCS Spring Split on Twitch saw lower-than-average viewership during the first two weeks of the season. But week three provided an upsurge. 

With 72,314 average viewers across all three days of live coverage, week three of the 2021 Spring Split had the highest average of any weekend so far, now halfway through the regular season, according to Twitch tracking website SullyGnome.

In total, the league’s live coverage had 1.4 million hours watched on the official LCS Twitch channel. Week one had slightly more hours watched, but with more hours of airtime.

Year-over-year, the league is still below 2020 averages. The league’s 82,184 average viewers for week three in 2020 provided 1.05 million hours watched across 12.8 hours of airtime. But compared to other weeks in 2020, week three last year had about the same viewership as week two. Both were significantly lower than week one.

While averages on Twitch are down across the board for the LCS, the league has seen an increase in hours watched due to more games being played in a condensed schedule. Meanwhile, the removal of Monday games has resulted in stronger average viewership for a handful of matches that are now played on Friday instead.

Overall, the league is seeing less average viewership across the board with more hours watched per week. Part of that has to do with the Spring Split schedule being condensed and some of it has to do with early season hype for the league all being lapped up by the Lock In tournament in January.

When compared to leagues like the LEC, which has seen large jumps in viewership this season, the LCS’ stagnation doesn’t bode particularly well. But considering the league’s new format, we’ll have to wait for the full Spring Split to finish before drawing any hard conclusions about the league’s status.

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